Congratulations on being #FACTORfunded! Check out our Recipient FAQ below and the Recipient Resources which will prepare you for the Completion process. All of our info on Logos & Credits for acknowledging FACTOR support is available in its own section.

FAQ for Applicants

If you already have an assigned FACTOR Project Coordinator, please contact them directly. To check if you have been assigned a Project Coordinator look on the first page of your Artist and Applicant Profiles. If you have not yet been assigned to a Project Coordinator, you can use the form on the Contact Uspage, or call 877-696-2215 and press 1.

Make sure you are using the same email address you registered with us previously. Forgotten passwords can be retrieved by clicking the ‘Forgot Password?’ link on the sign in page. If you have yet to register your email with us, or if your last sign in was beforeApril 2013, you’ll need to create a new user profile. If you are still unable to sign in, contact FACTOR.

It takes 8-12 weeks for most projects to be reviewed. Take a look at the individual program guidelines for details. You’ll receive an email notification letting you know whether your application was successful or not once the review process is complete. You don’t need to wait until your application has been reviewed to start your project. Eligible expenses incurred after the date you submitted your application will be considered by FACTOR if your application was successful.

To create a new project application you must have access to an approved applicant profile (your own, or another’s if you are applying on someone else’s behalf), and in most cases, an approved and rated artist profile. Both of these rated profiles need to be connected to the user profile that’s logged in when you’re creating a new project. If either the artist or applicant profile has not yet been assigned a rating, the dropdown menu will appear blank. You’ll need to complete and submit the unrated profile for review and rating before you can continue. Remember: it can take up to 5 business days to receive a rating.

FACTOR has several programs that fund sound recordings, including the Artist Developmentand Juried Sound Recording programs. Make sure to read the program guidelines carefully to determine project eligibility.

It may be that you, or a bandmate, or a member of your team may have started a profile in the past. Email your Project Coordinator if you have one (or general.info@factor.ca if you don’t) with your name and the name of the profile you are trying to create, and we can look into the issue. We will be able to either grant you access to the existing profile (if we can link it to you or your band), or instruct you on how to differentiate your profile from the existing one (if it’s a legitimate case of two separate profiles with the same or similar names).

A Project Coordinator is your dedicated FACTOR expert. Once you have submitted your artist or applicant profile for review, it is assigned to a Project Coordinator who reviews the information you have submitted and assigns a rating. This is the primary person that you will be dealing with for the duration of your relationship with FACTOR. They can offer advice and guidance, will instruct you on important steps once you’ve received funding, and see your project through to completion.

All new artist profiles will receive the “general artist” rating, and the vast majority of FACTOR applicants remain at the artist 1 / general rating. As such, the “general artist” is now the default rating that allows artists to be eligible for our most popular programs – Artist Development, Juried Sound Recording, and Live Performance: Showcase component. All artists have the opportunity to supply additional info under the qualifying criteria in advance of our profile review deadlines in the hopes of upgrading their artist rating.

FAQ for Recipients

Extensions are never granted automatically; you must email your Project Coordinator with a preferred new deadline date and the reason for your extension request. Please also describe the current status of the project, the work you have already done and the work you have left to do. Make sure you’re aware of the details of your extension. If you run out of extensions or do not submit your materials before your extension runs up, you may end up in breach of your funding agreement.

Use the FACTOR logo with text and the Canada wordmark with text wherever possible. These are the preferred versions. The logos can only appear without the text if the available space for the logos is so small that the text is illegible. If this is the case, contact your Project Coordinator immediately for prior approval.

Get in touch with your Project Coordinator ASAP. They can help advise you of cost-effective solutions to rectify the missing or incorrect logo. Inappropriate credit or acknowledgement may result in a reduction to your final offer, or be considered an Event of Default with FACTOR, so make sure that you are aware of your obligations.

You will always need to acknowledge FACTOR and Canada’s Private Broadcasters on any FACTOR-funded commercial projects, and on any materials produced in support of a FACTOR-funded commercial project. You may also need to acknowledge the Government of Canada, depending on which program you receive FACTOR funding through. Please consult the appropriate program page in the handbook, or review your General Agreement for details.

FACTOR will allow you to alter the colour of the FACTOR logo if the original colours conflict with any graphic design elements on finished materials. However, you may not modify the Canada wordmark, or cause it to appear in a colour scheme that is not explicitly allowed by the Treasury Board of Canada. For more details, please see the Treasury Board of Canada’s Canada Wordmark – Technical Specifications (2012).

Partially. FACTOR will allow up to 25% of total eligible in-house costs related to employee salaries and exclusive contractor fees (for people who worked on a funded project). Beyond that, company administration and overhead costs including day-to-day office, equipment and supplies costs, rent and occupancy costs are ineligible. However, in many programs FACTOR allows an administration fee that can contributeto some of those costs.Please see the program guidelines, or contact your Project Coordinator for more information.

Yes. The development of significant new artist-specific web assets is eligible in a marketing component. Ongoing artist-specific web maintenance costs (such as page re-design, updating content, programming, domain and hosting fees) will be recognized at a maximum of $1,000 per month.

Partially, but only if you applied to the Live Performance program. Gear and equipment purchases for a FACTOR-funded tour or showcase will be recognized up to a maximum of 10% of the total cost of the purchase. The date of purchase receipt must be consistent with the dates of the tour or showcase. Please note that no equipment, gear, or instrument purchases are eligible under any sound recording program.

Generally, no. However,FACTOR may allow, on a case-by-case basis, the costs of a non-Canadian producer coming to work in a Canadian studio located in Canada. Such costs may include travel, accommodation and producer fees. Contact your Project Coordinator before applying to explain why you want to hire a non-Canadian producer.

No. Manufacturing and duplication expenses are not eligible FACTOR expenses. Take a look at our Business Policies, or the program guidelines for the program you’re applying to, to see what kinds of expenses are eligible.

Costs paid in cash may be accepted only for incidental purchases (costing under $100) and must be supported by an itemized store receipt. If traveling in a Tour, Showcase, or Business Travel component, suppliers such as hired musicians or eligible crew may be paid in cash, but payments will only be considered eligible when accompanied by a signed Receipt for Services and Per Diems form, available on our Recipient Resources page.

See the individual program guidelines for examples of eligible and ineligible costs. If you don’t see what you are looking for in the program guidelines, please contact your Project Coordinator to discuss the eligibility of your costs.